136 BIRD BIOGRAPHIES 



rebuild their nest right on the margin 

 of the reeds, and quite ten feet farther 

 from the Coots. With tremendous energy 

 they set to work, using the old materials 

 again, and I never knew a nest built 

 quicker. The birds commenced to build 

 late in the evening, and when the creek 

 was visited the following morning the 

 hen was sitting on her nest and it con- 

 tained one egg. This was the second 

 one she had laid, for the first had sunk, 

 and could not be recovered. I noticed 

 that the hen did not leave her nest, but 

 sat there the whole day. She had learnt 

 a lesson, and did not intend to let the 

 Coots destroy her home again. A day 

 later two eggs were in the nest, and 

 then a new danger threatened to destroy 

 it. A strong wind sprang up and 

 blew right across the lake towards the 

 creek. The nest was not sheltered, and 

 it looked as if nothing could keep it 

 from being washed away. The hen was 



